


Finer Side of Dating

by lordjenjen



Category: South Park
Genre: First Date sort of, Homophobic Slurs, M/M, k2 secret santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:40:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21847591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordjenjen/pseuds/lordjenjen
Summary: Kyle's moved back, and Kenny wants to take him on a nice date to show him how serious he is and how much he's grown up. Of course, dates never go exactly as planned.My K2 Secret Santa gift for 1000 Dead Kenny's.Is also a sequel to I Fucked Up
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Kenny McCormick
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Finer Side of Dating

Kenny knocked on Kyle’s door before nervously brushing off his suit jacket. It was stupid to be this nervous. They had dated before and this would be no different. Except it was entirely different. Back then they were high schoolers. They were young and dumb and had ended their relationship on a sour note. It had been a hard time for Kenny as he absorbed himself in work and Kyle had apparently done the same thing with school. When they finally met again, it had sparked that old flame in Kenny. He was ready to forgive Kyle if it meant he got to spend time with him again. And Kyle felt the same.

They had both grown as people and knew jumping into a relationship after what they had put each other through would be a disaster. So they were taking it slow as Kyle moved back to South Park. He wanted this date to show Kyle he was serious about him, about their relationship. There were still regrets on his end and he wanted to show Kyle how much he meant to him.

The door swung open, reveling Kyle’s smiling face. The smile didn’t last long as he eyed what Kenny was holding. 

“Oh, dude. I’m allergic to roses.”

Kenny frowned. “I thought it was carnations.”

“It was, but I’ve since developed allergies to pretty much most flowers.”

Kenny apologized as he turned around to face Kyle’s neighbors door. He knocked before turning back towards Kyle to apologize again. Kenny could hear the locks turn before the door opened as far as the chain would allow. 

“Oh! It’s you dear!” The door closed and opened again to an elderly lady. 

Kenny handed her the flowers. “Good evening, Ms Flores. Flowers for a beautiful woman.”

She let out a little laugh as she took the bouquet. “You tried giving them to Kyle didn’t you? Poor boys allergic to everything. I tried to give him one of my plants and he started sneezing before I had the chance to tell him what it was. I learned that lesson too." She gave his cheek a tiny pinch. “Bring him some fancy bon bon’s next time. I do enjoy the ones from that cute corner shop.”

As she laughed at her own joke, Kenny chuckled as he gave her cheek a quick peck. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

She waved at them both before closing the door, talking to the flowers about getting them a nice vase. Kenny turned back to Kyle who was leaning against his door frame. His heart pounded heavily in his chest at how amazing Kyle looked.

“When did you stop eating chocolate?”

“Never. I developed a nut allergy a few years back though. She tried giving me cookies as an apology for the plant.” Kyle closed and locked his door. “Alright, lead the way.”

Kenny had a hard time not smiling as they made their way to his car. They made light chat as Kenny drove them to the restaurant. Being friends for so long meant there was nothing they couldn’t talk about. It was like they hadn't spent years apart from each other with no communication. 

Kyle ooed as they pulled into South Parks nice's restaurant. As soon as the sound came out of his mouth, he stopped. It was obvious he wanted to say something but kept it to himself. He couldn't help but notice the way Kyle smiled seemed off, but he didn't want to ruin the mood. Instead he gave him a little nudge with his shoulder before holding opened the door for him. 

"M'sir." Kenny bowed and tipped and invisible fedora. He was glad to see Kyle's real smile back and even happier when Kyle did the same at the next door. 

The host smiled sweetly at the two men, "Good evening."

Kenny returned the smile. "Hello. I have a reservation for two. McCormick."

The lady's face dropped as she looked down at the list. "It doesn't seem we have you on here sir. Are you sure you're at the right place?"

The way the lady said it rubbed Kenny wrong. He knew what kind of reputation his family had. He was well aware of how much pull the McCormick name had, which is to say unless you wanted drugs, none. But Kenny wasn't his parents. 

Instead of getting upset, he just reinforced his smile. "Yes, I'm positive I called here a week ago to make a reservation. Perhaps there was a mistake on your end."

"Well, Mr McCormick, I can guarantee you there was no mistake. You don't have a reservation here." 

Kenny wasn't one to name drop. He'd done a lot of work on the property, his boss being friends with the owner, and had come to know the owner on a "greet you in passing" basis. But in this moment it was tempting. The shame he felt at being treated like a second class person, not worthy of anything remotely nice, hit a cord in him. Before he could even form a sentence, Kyle was on it.

"Ya know what," Oh Kenny knew that tone from Kyle well. "it's fine. We don't need a reservation. Give us a table."

"You do need one, sir."

"Ya don't. And let me tell-"

Before Kyle could get out another word Kenny put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, man. I'll just talk with Eli about how his place is being run." The woman scoffed at the use of the owner's name. "Come on."

As they existed the restaurant, he motioned to a tiny place across the street. "How ya feel about hipster ass food that's actually pretty fucking good?" 

"You know hipster is my thing. Is there ultra dim lighting?" 

"They have no electricity. They harvest the power of the sun and when it's dark they only use the light of oil lamps." 

Kyle let out a snort but realized soon enough Kenny wasn't entirely joking. While it was not uppity, classy restaurant, and they were well over dressed for the place, it was still a good dinner. Kenny couldn't help but enjoy himself over the oil lamps light dinner. They both poked fun at the decor and food, but enjoyed it all. He was kind of glad that it happened since they were both being rather loud, he was sure their laughter would have gotten them kicked out at the other place. 

Kenny almost missed his alarm telling them they had to leave. They both downed their Mason jars before exiting the restaurant. Kenny stopped as he saw a woman struggling with her car. She kicked the flat tire before throwing the object in her hand to the ground. He noticed the kids in the back seat and frowned.

"Sorry, Kyle. I know we're on a date-" 

"Dude it's cool."

Kenny gave him a peck before jogging across the street towards the woman. 

"Ma'am, would you like some help?" 

"Oh thank you but I don't want to ruin your clothes or anything." One look at her face said she'd been crying. 

"It's fine. The suit can be replaced. I'll be right back though." 

He fished out his keys and hopped in his car, pulling up behind the lady and turning on his flashers before getting out. In his trunk was everything he needed. Growing up poor had made him overly cautious about things. He had a blanket, pillow, clothes, tools, anything he could need in a pinch. He grabbed the floor mat, jack and spinner and made his way towards the car again. 

The woman thanked him again as he loosened the lugnuts and apologized for ruining their date. Kyle reassured her it wasn't ruined and began talking like he'd known her forever. Kenny couldn't help but smile as he comforted her before she started spilling her story. It started out as "just traveling" but quickly became the truth of trying to get away from an ex with her two kids. She'd found out she was pregnant with a third and knew there was no way they would survive him if she stayed. Her mother was of no help, telling her to make it work. A friend across the country would let her stay, but she had to get there.

Kenny knew there was more to it than that. Just looking at her said she'd gone through a lot more than she was letting on, not to mention the temporary tags on the car suggested she hadn't even made a payment on it. He knew what it was like. He knew some of the hardships she was going through. He knew the look of someone who hadn't eaten a real meal in days. 

Tire changed, he loaded the popped one into the trunk and pulled out his phone, trying to hide the fact he was also pulling money out of his wallet. He could stop by the ATM and get more if needed. Kyle watched him, eyebrow raised, as he called a friend, he said nothing of the woman's problems, just said he needed a tire fixed and to put whatever charges on him. 

"Alright, so go to Big Joe's Tires, and he'll get it fixed for you." 

The lady began crying as she thanked Kenny for what he's done. He tried to shrug it off like nothing, never truly able to accept compliments and such, then slipped the money into her coat pocket as she shook Kyle's hand. 

"Still have to save everyone, I see." 

Kenny shrugged as he put everything back in his car. "Maybe, but now I don't do it in costume." 

It wasn't far to the theater, but Kenny found it surprising the parking garage was nearly empty. Kyle was baffled as they walked into the theater. There was only one thing currently being performed in South Park, and it was all the town was talking about. 

"How did you score tickets to Hamilton? I couldn't get them the entire time I was in New York." Kyle didn't hold back on his excitement. It made Kenny gleeful. 

"Fucking magic. Actually my landscaping boss. He bought them for him and his wife but she had to leave town for a family emergency."

Kenny was confused by the usher standing at the door. As they approached, he stopped them. "Sorry folks. Shows been cancelled. Half the crew got the flu." 

"Huh?" Kenny was stunned. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. Well he could believe it, it was his luck, but it still left him dumbfounded. 

"Show's. Been. Cancelled. If you bought your tickets by mail, you can get a refund inside. If you bought them through our site, you'll be refunded automatically."

Kenny sighed as he pulled out his phone. His boss had just given him the tickets, refused to accept money, but Kenny would get the man his refund if needed. A quick call told him he didn't need to worry about it. He tried to not let the luck get to him.

"Well no Hamilton."

Kyle sighed. "Yeah. Maybe someday I'll see what the deal is with this musical. So what's the plan?" 

Kenny shrugged but noticed a place across the street. "How about some arcade games?" 

Kyle followed Kenny's gaze. "Yeah, alright."

Kenny tried to not let the disappointment get to him too much as he kicked Kyle's ass in air hockey. He was having fun and so was Kyle and that's all that mattered. He'd just have to try to take him on a date another time. 

They gained an audience as Kyle wailed on him in Guitar Hero. Didn't seem to matter that it had been years since Kyle had even touched the game, the motor skills were forever engraved in his brain. 

"You think you're good?"

They both turned to face the guy talking. 

"Decent, yeah." Kenny smiled at Kyle's modesty. Him and Stan were the kings of Guitar Hero back when they were kids. He was more than just "decent." 

"Well if you think you're so great then, play me."

Kenny didn't particularly care for the man's tone, but Kyle wasn't one to back down from a challenge. It was one of the things that never changed in Kyle and just served as a link to the Kyle he's always known and was still in love with it. 

Kenny handed the challenger his plastic guitar before picking up his and Kyle's sports coats off the floor. Something shifted in Kenny. He became oddly aware of how they were over dressed, of how he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Nothing but a poor kid dressed as a princess. Kenny mentally shook himself out of it and focused on Kyle. 

The two rock, paper, scissored for song choice. Most people didn't notice, but Kenny noticed how the challenger held his hand at an odd shape, purposely delaying what he was doing until Kyle had shown his. It was something he'd learn from a con-artist that lived in their garage while the heat blew off him. Kenny did not like this one bit. The man gloated about Kyle being a loser already while he scroller through the songs, landing on DragonForce. It was a common enough song to pick, everyone enjoyed showing off, but either this guy was good or an idiot to be picking it to perform on expert mode. 

Kyle rolled his shoulders and flexed his finger. It was obvious he was down for this. And with his sleeves rolled up and tie loosened, he looked like an actual guitarist. It made Kenny weak. 

The song started and the crowd cheered, both real and fake. Kenny had no idea how Kyle was feeling, but he was stressed just watching the commands fly by. How was anyone supposed to do that with their fingers? Even the time he was in a band, he didn't have to finger so fast. Not only were the prompts intense, but the song was long. 7 minutes of intense strumming and fingering would wear anyone down. But somehow Kyle was doing it perfectly. 

Did he play while off in college? What did he do in his free time. Kenny wanted to know. He wanted to know what Kyle did when they weren't together, what he did to keep thoughts of Kenny at bay. From what little they had talked about it, he'd plunged himself into school work but surely he had to have done things outside of school. 

Both crowds cheered as Kyle used his star power, blowing past his competition in points. Kyle threw his arms up as the round ended before turning towards his competition. Hand extended, Kyle congratulated the guy on scoring so high. 

The challenger was having none of it. As soon as he smacked Kyle's hand away, Kenny was ready to attack . 

"You cheated." 

"I didn't cheat. You're an incredibly sore loser. How would you even cheat?"

"Whatever, faggot. Don't you need to be off blowing your boyfriend there-" 

Kenny felt a hand on his chest. He hadn't realized he'd stepped closer to the two of them, but the tiny gester made him realize he was about to deck the dude and Kyle was also reaching that point. He knew that look. It had haunted his sleep for years. 

Before either could throw a punch, a security office was stepping up. Neither had a chance to tell him what was going on before on their audience started in, telling him that they were being harassed. Kenny was glad not everyone was as rude as this man, bit it still sucked. The challenger was escorted out of the store and an apology was given to Kenny and Kyle along with a pair of free passes to come back. 

After that incident, neither were in the mood for games any longer and decided to leave the arcade. As they left, Kenny noticed two kids loitering around the building. He gave them their free tickets before making their way back to the car. 

Once in, Kenny turned the key to start the car and warm it up a bit as they buckles their seatbelt. The car let out a few low groans but never turned over. Confused, Kenny turned the car off and tried again getting the same results, ending in just clicking noises. It took all of his self control to not yell, instead letting out a heavy sigh. 

"Cool. Battery died." He whipped out his phone and opened his car insurance app. The previous car he'd owned had given him so much trouble, Kenny decided the extra $10 a month for roadside assistance was worth it. It was a life saver then and was a life saver now. 

"I'm sorry this date has sucked," Kenny blurted out. "It's been fucking diaster from. The start and like-"

"It's been fun, dude."

"Maybe, but it wasn't the date you deserve. I wanted to take you on a real date." 

Kyle was quiet as Kenny rested his head against the window to mope. Nothing ever went right for him. He shouldn't have even bothered trying to be something he wasn't.

"You know, I think on why I find you so attractive, what draws you specifically to me. It's got everything to with you. You roll with it and make the best of a bad situation. I lose my cool if I think the inconvenience is too great. You side step it and keep going. I want the world to change for the better and you're out there being nice, being the change I want to see. Dude, don't think for a moment this was a failed date. It was great. Except the whole, ya know. Fag thing. Can't believe people still do that." 

Kenny snorted. "Too bad we can't dress up and go kick his ass." 

"Yeah. That would be nice. But then nothing would be stopping me from kicking the ass of the people who live above me." 

Kenny let out another sigh before turning to Kyle. "I just wanted to take you out on a real date. Ya know, show you that I'm serious. That- that I'm not that kind of McCormick."

Kyle punched Kenny's arm. "The fuck do you think of me, man? I know you're not. You never were." 

It was hard, but Kenny took a deep breath, trying to get himself back into a good headspace. 

"Yeah. You're right." He glanced at the time on his phone and smiled. "You know, we have a good 45 minutes before they get here. We could, like, fog up the windows while we wait."

Kyle let out a laugh, leaning in towards Kenny. "Yeah alright. Then let's go back to my place." 

There was no stopping the smile from splitting Kenny's face, even as the yellow flashing lights interrupted them. 


End file.
